Malleable correlates of teacher-student relationship quality among elementary students with disabilities: Teacher and student perspectives.

Abstract

Teacher-student relationships (TSRs) are critical for student development, yet little is known about the role that malleable child-level skills and experiences play in shaping TSR quality among students with disabilities experiencing behavioral difficulties. This study examines how student experiences (e.g., classroom working alliance) and skills (i.e., social skills, internalizing/externalizing behaviors) relate to TSR quality as perceived by both teachers and students. Participants included 185 students with disabilities and 76 special education teachers across 50 schools. Multi-informant assessments and regression analyses revealed that working alliance, specific social skills, and externalizing problem behaviors were uniquely associated with both positive (e.g., trust, closeness) and negative (e.g., conflict, alienation) TSR dimensions. Importantly, working alliance emerged as a consistent predictor across both rater perspectives, while discrepancies between teacher and student perceptions highlighted the importance of using multi-informant approaches. Findings underscore the potential of interventions targeting alliance-building and social-emotional skills to enhance TSRs for students with elevated behavioral needs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).